Colonel Webb and Mary Miller Hayes with Nephews on 1916 Alaskan Journey

On July 7, 1916, Colonel Webb Hayes, accompanied by his wife Mary Miller Hayes and 18-year-old nephews Dalton Hayes and William Platt Hayes, began a 53-day journey that would extend west to Yellowstone Park, Seattle, Washington, north to the Arctic Circle, and as far south as the Mexican border. 

Most importantly, it was an opportunity for the colonel to explore Alaska and the Yukon, one of the few places he had never visited. Below are some of the photographs they took. Today they are part of the Colonel Webb C. Hayes Photograph Collection at the Hayes Presidential Library and Museums.

Colonel Webb and Mary Miller Hayes looking down on Juneau.

Learning How to Pan for Gold

Dredging Operation on Bonanza Creek

Fish Wheel Used by the Tlingit to Catch Salmon on the Yukon River

Jim Haly's Roadhouse in Fort Yukon was a Popular Gathering Place for Residents and Anyone Traveling Through the Fort Yukon Area. Haly, a French Canadian, Operated the Roadhouse from 1901 - 1918

  "White Horse"Steamship that Plied the Waters of the Yukon and Tanana Rivers from 1901 to 1930

Passengers on Board the "White Horse" with the Hayeses as They Head up the Tanana River

Colonel Webb  and Mary Miller Hayes pose at the White Pass and Yukon Route, where the Railroad was Built in 1898 During the Klondike Gold Rush. 

Tlingit Family Preparing to Bring in Salmon Nets

Ken and Vicki Juul Donate General Manning Force's Carriage Clock and Music Box

Vicki and Retired Naval Commander Ken Juul

In early October, retired Naval Commander Ken Juul and his wife Vicki visited the Hayes Library and Museums to make a special donation of items that had been carried by Ken's great grandfather General Manning Force during the Civil War.  Below are images of the French carriage clock with its leather case and the small music box. Both belonged to General Force.  We are deeply grateful to Ken and Vicki for their thoughtfulness and generosity.

In 2012, Ken and Vicki donated General Force's Civil War escutcheon. Because of the lifelong friendship that existed between General Force and President Rutherford B. Hayes, Juul felt that the Hayes Presidential Library and Museums was an appropriate repository for the escutcheon, the carriage clock, and music box. President Hayes and Lucy named their eighth child  and the only one born at Spiegel Grove for General Manning Force. 

French Carriage Clock and its Leather Case

Music Box owned by General Manning Force

General Manning Ferguson Force

Manning Force was born Dec. 17, 1824 in Washington, D.C. to Peter and Hannah Force, the fourth of ten children. He attended Harvard University and Harvard Law School. Upon graduation in 1848, he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, and entered the practice of law. Force joined the Literary Club of Cincinnati where he met fellow lawyer Rutherford B. Hayes with whom he would form a lifelong friendship

Prior to the Civil War, Manning Force served as a member of the Burnett Rifles.
On August 26, 1861, he was appointed major of the 20th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. The following month, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. The first battle for the 20th O.V.I. was at Fort Donelson in February 1862. Shortly after the battle of Shiloh, Force was promoted to colonel and placed in command of the regiment. During the 1863 siege of Vicksburg, he served as acting commander of the 2nd Brigade of Mortimer Leggett’s Division,17th Corps, and was then promoted to brigadier general. 

In the summer of 1864, Leggett’s Division joined William T. Sherman’s drive on Atlanta. While leading his brigade in the defense of Bald Hill, Force was struck by a Minie ball. The ball struck him on the left side of his face and exited the upper right side of his skull. Believing the wound fatal, Force was sent home to die. Instead, he recovered and rejoined Sherman’s Army, taking part in the March to the Sea. For his actions at Atlanta, Force was promoted to major general and, in 1892, awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Following the Civil War, he was appointed military commander of the District of Mississippi, a position he held until January 1866 when he was mustered out.

Manning Force returned to his law practice in Cincinnati, Ohio. From 1866 to 1875 he served as judge of the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court. He married Frances Dabney Horton of Pomeroy, Ohio, on May 13, 1874. They had one son, Horton Caumont Force

In 1876, Manning Force was defeated in his bid for the U.S. House of Representatives. He later joined the faculty of the Cincinnati Law School and was also elected judge of the Superior Court of Cincinnati. Suffering from overwork, Force resigned his seat on the bench. He spent time with his good friend Rutherford B. Hayes at Spiegel Grove in Fremont, Ohio. After his stay in Fremont and a month long vacation in Europe, Force returned to Cincinnati. In 1888, he was appointed Commandant of the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home in Sandusky, Ohio, a position he held until his death May 8, 1899.

Tour of Fremont, Ohio's Oakwood Cemetery, September 23rd

Tour of Oakwood Cemetery, Fremont, Ohio
(Note the Hayes Family Monument in the distance)

Mike Gilbert Leading the Cemetery Tour of Fremont, Ohio's Oakwood Cemetery,
sponsored by Attorney George Schrader

On Saturday, September 23rd, historian and educator Mike Gilbert of Fremont, Ohio led tours for  some 40 participants of the 2017 History Roundtable. Sponsored by Attorney George Schrader, the tour took individuals to Fremont's Oakwood Cemetery. Mr. Schrader's sponsorship made it possible for the Hayes Presidential Library and Museums to rent a trolley to navigate the cemetery. Associate Curator of Manuscripts Julie Mayle and Annual Giving and Membership Coordinator Meghan Wonderly facilitated the event

Gilbert spent many months at the cemetery and at the Hayes Presidential Library and Museums researching the lives of some of Sandusky County's prominent citizens and pioneers. Established in 1858, the cemetery originally comprised 26 acres of the James Vallette property in Ballville Twp. Gilbert found that Benjamin Munson was the first burial. He was interred October 6, 1860. Today more than 20,000 burials have been recorded by the Oakwood Cemetery Association. Each of the participants received a copy of Mr. Gilbert's research, The Final Farewell. His work was also made available to Roundtable attendees on September 30th.

The Hayes Presidential Library & Museums is grateful to Dr. Mary Wonderly for her continued sponsorship of History Roundtable with Mike Gilbert.